Republican legislators call for state to repeal ‘sanctuary’ law

A collection of Republican Washington state Senators has called for the repeal of a state law that limits local law enforcement’s cooperation with federal immigration officials – while the governor vows to defend the legislation against a potential federal challenge.

“I believe, in my personal opinion, the current governor is just doing everything in his power to pick a fight with the Trump administration and leaving the Legislature and the citizens of this state to pick up the bar tab afterwards,” state Sen. Leonard Christian, R-Spokane Valley, said in an interview Friday. “He’s just bent on putting our state at jeopardy on the funding of a lot of things.”

Christian’s comments come as Attorney General Pam Bondi threatens to withhold federal funds from what the Department of Justice has designated as “sanctuary jurisdictions,” which it says have “policies, laws, or regulations that impede enforcement of federal immigration laws.”

Four legislators – state Sens. Phil Fortunato, R-Pierce County, Jeff Wilson, R-Longview, Jim McCune, R-Graham and Christian – called on Gov. Bob Ferguson this week to scrap the Keep Washington Working Act.

Adopted in 2019, the legislation restricts local law enforcement from using local resources to help federal officials enforce immigration law and prevents local law enforcement from sharing nonpublic information with federal officials, except in certain scenarios.

“The federal government has made its position clear. Washington’s sanctuary policies are putting our state at risk, both financially and in terms of public safety,” Fortunato said in a statement Wednesday. “The so-called ‘Keep Washington Working Act’ has nothing to do with keeping Washingtonians working. Instead, it ties the hands of law enforcement, shields dangerous criminals, and puts our taxpayers at risk.”

With Republicans in control of the White House and Congress, the legislation has come under frequent federal criticism in recent months as the Trump administration looks to ramp up efforts to deport undocumented immigrants nationwide.

In letters sent last week to Ferguson, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and dozens of other officials across the country, Bondi wrote that under President Donald Trump, “full cooperation by state and local governments in immigration enforcement efforts is a top priority.”

“You are hereby notified that your jurisdiction has been identified as one that engages in sanctuary policies and practices that thwart federal immigration enforcement to the detriment of the interests of the United States,” Bondi wrote. “This ends now.”

In his response, Ferguson said he would defend the legislation against a potential challenge by the federal government and seek “all appropriate costs and fees.”

“I am very confident that if the federal government files a lawsuit challenging the Keep Washington Working Act, that we will be successful in defending it,” Ferguson said during a Tuesday press conference in the state capitol. “We’ll see what they choose to do.”

State Sen. Lisa Wellman, D-Mercer Island, the prime sponsor of the Keep Washington Working Act, said Tuesday that the legislation is “important in terms of keeping our businesses flourishing” and that it is the “responsibility” of the federal government to enforce immigration law.

The Republican legislators, however, would like to see increased cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration officials.

During the 2025 legislative session, Fortunato and McCune introduced legislation that would have forbid any “state entity, law enforcement agency, or local governmental entity” from adopting a sanctuary jurisdiction policy. The legislation would also direct local law enforcement to “use best efforts to support the enforcement of federal immigration law.”

The proposal died in committee without a hearing.

“I would imagine that something would come up again about it, especially since this is trying to directly pick a fight with the Trump administration,” Christian said, adding that the legislation would likely come up when lawmakers return to Olympia in January.